The moment those words left her mouth, Touta's expression froze into a perfect mix of 60%
confusion and 40% "what the hell are you talking about."
"Huh? Kume-san, what exactly are you saying?"
Kume Chinatsu bit her lip, fingers nervously twisting a strand of hair. After a long pause, she
blurted out:
"Kiryu-kun… what were you doing the night before last?"
The night before last?
Oh, you know — just cosplaying Decade, yelling 'Henshin!' and punching an evil spirit into
confetti right in front of you.
Yeah, that'd go over well.
Touta cleared his throat.
"I stayed over at a friend's place," he said evenly. "But honestly, what I was doing doesn't really
concern you, does it? What's this about, Kume-san?"
"I… you really don't have anything you want to tell me?" she asked, voice trembling.
The longer she stared at him, the more he looked like that man — but his calm tone, his
composure… it didn't fit.
Her heart couldn't decide what to believe.
She'd even tried sounding out Fuminaga-sensei earlier that morning — if she didn't question his
identity, maybe this really was Kiryu Touta.
But still — the timing, the eyes, the build, the "ghost student" suddenly returning right after the
incident—
how could she not suspect him?
Touta just shrugged.
"What would I even say? Compliment you on being cute?"
He smiled faintly.
"I heard you're a minor celebrity. An idol, right? But what's that got to do with me?"
Then the smile sharpened.
"Or wait—don't tell me, Kume-san's so full of herself she thinks every guy she meets instantly
falls for her? Is that why you're so obsessed with me?"
"???"
Her brain blue-screened.
"Y-you… you're so full of yourself!" she sputtered, cheeks flushing crimson.
"Since that's not it," Touta asked innocently, tilting his head, "then what is it you want from me?"
Was… was he really not the same person?
No. She couldn't let it go.
Taking a deep breath, Kume reached into the small breast pocket of her uniform.
Then—
"Haah!"
She leapt up and slapped a pure white talisman straight onto Touta's forehead.
Ambush attack!
He hadn't expected that at all. She looked so harmless, her aura completely ordinary. He didn't
even bother defending.
The charm stuck firmly in place—no glue, no tape—just pure spiritual force.
And right before her eyes, it began to glow.
Kume's eyes widened in triumph.
She remembered what Kamikura Ringo, the miko from the other night, had told her:
"If it glows, that means the target carries resentment. Most spirits and cursed
beings can't move once it's attached."
Sure enough—
It glowed.
It glowed!
Right there, on his forehead!
Touta frowned slightly, peering at her from either side of the paper. He could feel the faint tug of
it — like the charm was trying to drink an ocean through a straw.
Cute attempt.
But come on. A slip of paper holding his power?
BOOM–CRACK!
The charm exploded, bursting into drifting black ash.
Silence.
Kume blinked.
…Wait.
It broke?
Ringo hadn't said anything about that.
And then it hit her.
There was only one explanation—
He was lying.
He was the Sugar Bean Man.
He'd come to silence her!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
She screamed and bolted—
straight for the rooftop stairs.
Touta sighed. Watching her flee like a startled rabbit was almost impressive.
Then he noticed the key in her hand. Wait. She had a rooftop key?
Apparently, being on the student council came with privileges.
She'd duplicated it for herself — and now it was paying off.
She flung the door open and vanished into the wind.
Touta rubbed his temples. Then followed.
The rooftop wind howled.
Kume had sprinted ten meters before daring to look back.
Touta stepped through the doorway, one hand lazily braced against the frame, expression
bored.
"Hey, Kume-san. Do I really look that scary?"
"D-d-don't come any closer!"
She stumbled backward, gripping her key like a knife.
"Why are you so afraid of me?" Touta asked helplessly.
"I should be the one asking! You just slapped something on my face out of nowhere! What even
was that? And why do you look like I'm the one attacking you?"
"Don't play dumb! You're the Sugar Bean Man, aren't you?! You're pretending to be Kiryu Touta
to kill me and cover your tracks! The real Kiryu Touta—did you already kill him?!"
Touta raised an eyebrow.
"What are you even talking about?
Though… I see you know about Sugar Bean Man."
"Still pretending?!" she snapped.
Then his eyes lit up suddenly, like he'd just realized something huge.
"Ah! I get it! You're that student from the video—the one they blurred out! No wonder you
looked familiar!"
He actually leaned forward, excited.
"Kume-san, to be honest, I'm a huge fan of Sugar Bean Man! You met him, right? You know
him? Can you introduce me?!"
Kume's mind crashed.
…What?
Her instincts screamed He's lying!—but his expression, his tone, the sparkle in his eyes—
He looked like an honest-to-god fanboy.
And then—he got teary-eyed.
"Please, Kume-san… if you really know anything about him, tell me."
His voice wavered, just enough.
"My sister and I… we've been haunted ever since what happened a year ago."
He swallowed hard.
"It's been so hard for her. She can't even leave the house anymore. I try to stay strong for her,
but… it's exhausting. Always worrying, never knowing when the next haunting will happen…"
Kume blinked.
That—
That sounded real.
"You see," he added softly, smiling through the fake tears, "I'm just lucky I have strong yang
energy. Otherwise I'd be the same as her."
He sniffled, wiping his eyes.
And somehow, the sight of a tall, handsome boy almost crying was unreasonably convincing.
"I… I see…" she murmured, lowering her hand.
Touta kept his expression perfect.
Internally, he handed himself an imaginary Oscar for Best Leading Performance in a
Supernatural Farce.
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